Experienced Professionals are just as rare! Why does noone seem to care? Results of a short survey.

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry: Auch erfahrene Professionals sind rar! Warum kümmert sich niemand darum? Ergebnisse einer Kurz-Umfrage

The whole world talks about it. Generation Y here, Gen Y there. The Babyboomers been here for a while. The last really grant and big Generation is today, well, fat and saturated (here a German article about it: F.A.Z.: "Wir sind viele"). Seriously though, in details we know hardly anything. Maybe: "Babyboomer – born between 1946 and 1964: Successful, liberal, decelerating" (another German article, but hey, every HR has heard of Robert Half: "Unterschiedliche Arbeitsmoral spaltet Generationen"). What do Babyboomers actually care about? What are persuading arguements to stay bound to companies? What about the todays recruiting of babyboomers?

Especially the last question ignited my interest. Last week I started a short survey herefore (52 Recruiter participated, by whom 60% regularily and about 33% occasionally are looking for established professionals).

As my short survey has really just touched the hint of  representativeness, it at least showed the recruiting of Babyboomers happens most likely via own, personal contacts. (Hereby, "very important"stated 61.2% and "important" 34.7%). When contacts aren't enough, Career Network Portals such as XING and LinkedIn are used to search and start the direct contact to potential employees ("very important" said 68.6%, "important" 23.5% recruiters asked). On spot #3 the search via usual Online-Jobportals took its place. By the way, Print Ads, according to those who participated, does little to not matter at all. 

Despite all efforts in regard to the question "Do you believe as Recruiter it was easier or more difficult over the last years to win established professionals for the company?", about 75% answered with "more difficult".












The question is, why do we keep discussing the Gen Y, the "Dissenters", if we have not even accomplished to understand how to win Babyboomers, let alone keep them? AND isn't there a hollistical discussion overdue for the longest? Ha, about this subject I will write about next week. Stay tuned.

JT 

Us Dissidents - A Generation Thinking Different

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Wir Andersdenker

Do-Gooder. Dream Dancer. Waverer. Work-Refuser. These are merely a few names current career beginners are titled with often - describing the legendary "Generation Y", those belonging to the population group born between the years of 1980 to 1995.
I was born in 1984, which makes me a member of this particular generation. Since you, as dedicated readers and Human Resourcer, care so much about this generation, I would like to share my thoughts and opinion with you, trying to give you some insights on this matter. With this, a new category of our Blog is born: Us Dissidents. (Not the church group but the new Work Generation)

Talk WITH us!

What do us "Generation Y"-members do to those Human Resourcer deciding about new company entries? Well, we pretty much drive them insane. We make all theories and old practices go overboard and turn them into nonesense from yesterday. We change the labor market and throw our own rules into the game. This is what you might read, hear and see almost daily. But is the (core) problem really us?!

What do we do different? We question and give us a try. We don't want strict, boring office days. We want to take and have an active part in decision-makings in regard to working and still being able to have a (private) life. And that is the fly in the ointment. It is (too) different from the expectations of the "elder", such as my parents for instance. They worked decisively to earn money. As to me, however, passion and self-realization play a big role. And there we have two differing views. This actually means, having such "elder"-view in Human Resources all concepts in Recruiting and Personnel-Marketing are a mess now - previous common Incentives aren't working as they did back in the days. 

Instead of occupying oneself with the new target group, or even talking to us, and adapting and adjusting old concepts, Human Resourcer (of the older generation) are expound the problems of by them titles "Generation Y". We all tend to pigeonhole a lot and find problems in things once it has been granted a "title" somehow - classic pegging, if you ask me. 

But does it really need a title?! Do NOT consider this problem as problem, rather as challenge - why won't you? Allowing yourself to focus and finding a proper path, a right communication and adapting other processes with and to the so-called Generation Y can to be found! One thing is for sure: Talk with us and deal with us! Try and especially start to understand us! The longer you wait, the worse the situation of missunderstanding gets (- you can ask your parents ;) )

RJ

The Five Most Important Things

Translated from Ralf Junge'es blog entry "Die fünf wichtigsten Dinge"

What if your company´s employées come to work each day with a bright smile and are embracing their job because it gives them the feeling of accomplishment and fulfills them? - Unrealistic! Yer, I thought so, too.

Lately I have looked more intensively into the subject of Corporate Culture and Leadership and I came upon this interesting book named  "The Big Five for Life" by John Strelecky. If you did read his book, you wouldn't find the intial question of mine less unrealistic as it appears. More likely it is a question of the Coporate Culture after all. 

Strelecky describes a leadership principle which aims to accomplish a balance between personal aims of Life and Job - these aims are the "Big Five". The idea goes back to having Safaris in Africa which are only titled successful when the five infamous animals of the wild were really seen - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. As there are also the five most important things man has on his personal bucket list. The accomplishment of those are ones own benchmark for success and realization. The Big Five serve the compliance of the "Purpose for Existing (PE)" which every person and company should define in the first place. The better the employée's PE fits to the company's the higher the likelihood of a long and fulfilling employer-employée-relationship for both parties. 

For that matter a Corporate Culture has to develop in which well qualified people are hired who will have receive the freedom to figure out how to work successfully - again for both sides.

As written in the book, talented "people don't need somebody monitoring their behavior."  They don't work that well because they are monitored, but because they can identify themselves with their work and like their job.

When recruting new employées already, Human Resources Decider have keep an eye on the matter if the preferred candidate fits to the Corporate Culture, not if the candidate fits the profile of the vacant position in each detail. If employées find fulfillment and accomplishment in their Job, the risk of psychological diseases such as Burn-Out Syndrome is reduced and more energy and creativity is put in as effordt by the employée.

Nothing hinders a project more than a person who has the wrong job or is notoriously unhappy.   

„The Big Five for Life“  is a very interesting book which certainly contents some impulses and much food for thought in regard to the own Corporate Culture and ones own Leadership. It nudges to question a few things - the own way to work, leadership and certainly the own path to self-realization.

RJ

Work-Life-Balance was yesterday - today we embrace Work-Life-Choice

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Work-Life-Balance war gestern – wir leben heute die Work-Life-Choice

Last week the Online Start-Up Twago announced the resignation of its founder and Managing Director, Gunnar Berning. (Twago is an online project tool bringing Companies and Freelancer together by offering posted projects and profiles of Freelancer.)  At this juncture the differing views of the Managing Board as well as the Investors regarding expansions have been the crucial reason for this decision. More interesting, and shocking also, I found the news about the lay-off of another twenty to thirty employées along Bernings leaving. Considering of Twago only having sixty employées in total this is a very drastic decision.

However, this is what a job at a Start-Up often entails. At least, here in Berlin, the founder city Germany´s, it is not something of rarity. Primarily a young firm represents itself as IN, dynamic and innovative. Self-realization, flat hierarchies, responsibilty and promotion prospects are embraced vocabularies in terms of Start-Up's. It is true, naturally. The authority given is inviting much. Certainly, one can take a lot of responsibility within a short time already. That is surely a great feature on the résumé, also.

Start-Ups, nevertheless, are forefeiting their good image. More often you can hear about harsh working conditions. But why is that? In contrast to bigger companies and combines working hours in Start-Ups are significantly higher which leads back to the shortage of resources, such as work force, as well as missing structures. It feels like working without a break when being employed at a Start-Up company. Yes, it brings great responsibility to be taken, yet, a private life is often something not to even think of having. There is no Work-Life-Balance. It is more likely a Work-Life-Choice. Salaries come substantially smaller than in big and established companies. 

You might ask, why would one work at a Start-Up then anyways?! Well, everybody applying and being hired at a Start-Up usually know exactly what they are engaging in, which is why it is called Work-Life-Choice in the first place. Thus a conscious decision pro such working conditions.

It is everything BUT a boring office job with structured daily schedules and detailed processes and structures to encounter. The real charme lays in being constantly confronted with challenges anew and having the chance to create and frame the firm actively. And this most often within a young team and a great corporate culture which is based on team spirit and a great potion of motivation.

RJ